Assignment task:
Scollon & Scollon tell us that Athabaskans differ from most U.S. American English speakers in important ways that leaves both interactants unsatisfied by their encounters, particularly in classroom settings. Given your reading of the article, how do you think an Athabaskan would answer the question "what does talk do?" or phrased another way "what is talk for?, how should it be used?" Answer the same question from your perspective.
According to Basso, joking works by taking something that is based at least in part in truth or a "primary text" and puts it in a joking frame where it becomes a "secondary text" a parody of itself. The inherent danger in joking then is the possibility that a secondary text might be confused for a primary text, or put another way, someone may not be able to tell you are joking and take your joke (the secondary text) and think you really meant to say it (primary text). Because of this danger people use certain strategies when joking with others to assure that the peope they are talking to realize that what they are saying is a joke (secondary text) and not serious (primary text). He discovers these techniques by looking at jokes that Apache tell about "The Whiteman." What do these jokes tell us about the way the Apache view "The Whiteman." What do you think "The Whiteman" is trying to accomplish when he does the things the Apache joke about?
Why do you think the Apache tell these jokes? What does it do for them? Why is this important?